Mulch for the Soul

Many times I find myself sitting on my back porch (which is actually a covered gazebo on my patio beside my swimming pool) pondering the lessons of life that God wants to teach me from the garden.  Such was this day - my husband Michael was planting flowers and shrubs with meticulous care (he is now a Master Gardener, so he knows how to tell me WHAT and WHY he is doing what he is doing.)  I noticed he was taking the dead leaves and mulch from last years rakings and putting around the new flowers and plants.  Why? I asked... of course.  And he so patiently explained... there are lots of nutrients to be gained from the mulch from last fall that would boost the plant's growth this spring.  Amazing... I thought...  Take something dead and put on something alive?  Hmmmm.  A few days later, I was reading in a little book my sister gave me during my breast cancer treatments, HANG IN THERE, by Ellyn Sanna. "Sometimes we have to let go of parts of ourselves before we can grow.  It's as though life asks us to die a little bit - and dying is never fun.  But think how tall and strong a garden grows when it's mulched with last year's plants; a garden yields a rich harvest then the soul is nourished with things that have died. I believe God is doing the same in your life.  It may seem as if too much in your life is dying - but if you just hang on, you'll find yourself growing because of these experiences.  These tough times are the "mulch" that will one day nourish your soul."  WOW.  Talk about a "God echo."  When I read that I was overwhelmed because of the application Michael had just mentioned to me a few days prior.  There I sat with a bald head, my body so weakened from chemotherapy, and totally emotionally wiped out from the events of the past few months.  But, in a little spot on my patio, in a little obscure town in Mississippi, God wanted to speak to me and let me know that all the dead stuff He was removing from my life would become the nourishment for my soul for years to come.  I vowed then and there that my cancer journey would not be in vain.  That I would take all the empty, seemingly pointless days, the days of pain and suffering, and put them in a stash to be used later to remind myself of the strength and peace that my Father had given me during the struggles.  And I would offer my testimony to those who were going through a rough spot in their life to assure them that the trust I placed in my God was the sustaining force through all of my rough days.  Fast forward to 2 years later.  I am standing stronger, an overcomer and survivor, and basking in the beauty of His holiness.   
I Peter 5:10-11.  "And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast.  To Him be the power forever and ever.  Amen."